Secret
by MiyuTanemura
Summary: It was with shock that Natsu ended up discovering Gray's deepest secret, one that no-one (okay, maybe one or two people were in the secret) was privy to. Natsu/Gray. Dedicated to StruggleBusCentral.
1. Discovery

**A/N:** This is something I've been toying with for a while...

Also, this is fanfiction, I'm taking a broad usage of the intersex term (I do know how it works in reality but this is fanfiction) so anatomy works as I feel like it. xD

Thank you, Shia, for being an enabler of my craziness and pushing me to write weird stuff. Hopefully it won't suck too much. xD  
To those who dare to read, thank you and good luck?

* * *

 **Secret**

 **Chapter One - Discovery**

 _"Sometimes those who are closest to us are the ones who hold more secrets."_

* * *

There were some things that Natsu though as unshakeable truths. One, his home and family was in Fairy Tail; two, he raised with the sun, and three, he had a strange friendship/rivalry with Gray Fullbuster, resident ice mage.

The rivalry part was just for the fun – there was nothing as entertaining as fighting the ice mage – but, deep down, everybody knew that they were best friends.

With that, Natsu knew a lot about the other and the same happened in reverse.

So, it was with shock that Natsu ended up discovering Gray's deepest secret, one that no-one (okay, maybe one or two people were in the secret) was privy to.

It all started in a day like any other. Natsu was at the guild with his friends, they were just lazing around.

As per usual, Natsu was stuffing his face, much to the girl's amusement and Gray's unimpressed look. Actually, the ice mage had an air of disgust.

"Slow down, will ya?" Gray said with a grimace.

"Wha* _munch_ *d'ya* _chompchomp_ *me'n?" Natsu asked unintelligibly. He paused to drain his mug of beer.

Gray didn't immediately reply, seemingly transfixed by Natsu.

The fire mage noticed.

"What?" the fire mage asked as he cleaned his greasy mouth at the back of his hand.

"Nothing. I'll just… go." Gray stood. "See you tomorrow." He raised a hand in an absent wave before heading out.

"Now you did it, Natsu." Lucy said teasingly. "Your bad table manners put Gray off."

"Whaa-! No way!" Natsu defended himself. "I didn't do anything! It's not my fault that stupid ice-brain is in a bad mood."

"But everything was okay until you started eating like a pig." Erza said as she sipped from her cup.

"Okay, fine. I'm gonna see what's wrong with him. Are you happy now?" Natsu grumbled, standing and going after Gray. He imagined that the ice mage had gone home.

Natsu walked distractedly through the town, enjoying the peaceful environment, the people walking, the children running and playing. It didn't take long for Natsu to reach a familiar block. The houses in their neutral colours, the odd green or splash of colour brightening random windowsills.

Getting to the right door, Natsu allowed himself in. He was comfortable enough to enter Gray's house, even if it might get him a punch in the face.

Everybody knew how temperamental ice mages could be sometimes…

Natsu closed the door behind himself, taking in the open area of the living room. Gray wasn't there. Or he might've heard an earful by the moment he'd set foot in the house.

Watery noises came from the bathroom and that was everything Natsu needed to know.

In a few strides he got to the dark wooden door and opened the door.

"Oi, ice-block, I don't know what the hell's going on with you but the girls… told me… to…" Natsu's words died in his mouth as he took Gray in.

Sure, he'd seen the ice mage naked plenty of times but…

But…

Both mages stood stock still, eyes wide and mouths open. They didn't so much as blink.

Natsu finally looked up, blinking repeatedly. He didn't understand what he was seeing.

The ice mage was leaving his bath and…

Was different.

Water rivulets falling down hard planes of muscle glistened in the lighting of the tiled room, making everything suddenly become claustrophobic.

Natsu couldn't breathe.

He took a step back.

And another.

And _another_.

He heard noises coming from the bathroom and he started running, opening and slamming down the door as if there was no tomorrow.

He heard his name being called.

He heard the slight tinge of _shockhorrorhysteriafear_ that one word carried.

But he didn't care.

Natsu ran away.


	2. Reminiscence

**A/N:** Sooo, this chapter kind of ran away from me? And it got a bit into the territory of feels. Yikes.

Anyway, hope that whoever reads enjoys the chapter and, huh, let the craziness continue? ^^'

* * *

 **Chapter Two - Reminiscence**

The door closed and Gray's heart fell.

"Shit." Was the only word to come out of his mouth. The ice mage scrunched up his eyes, a pained grimace setting in his features.

With defeated movements, Gray tied the towel a little tighter around his waist and plopped down on the sofa, unmindful of the fact that he was soaking it.

Gray rested his elbows in his knees, curling up and hiding his face in his hands.

He was doomed, completely fucked. The secret he'd been hiding for so long, successfully – despite his penchant for disrobing – had now been found by the person he wanted in the least. How could it be, Natsu, for fuck's sake! Natsu _knew it_.

He was screwed…

Gray threw himself back, falling on the sofa and looking at the ceiling, letting out a weary sigh.

It was something about which Gray had always been ashamed of. At first he didn't know that he was any different. His parents always reacted as if it were anything special but he ended up learning about his difference.

It wasn't pretty.

He was called so many names that – he actually didn't remember much because Deliora appeared soon after and other things took precedence. He ended up creating a new family.

But now he knew that he couldn't be as naïve as he'd once been. So he didn't say a word to Ur. It wasn't anything that he felt like sharing, and he did feel quite disconnected from quite a number of things for a long time.

Learning ice make magic changed his life.

It was hard but fun. He had Lyon with him, a brother whom he was always trying to surpass, with whom he had fights and contests (some didn't end all that well, and he still remembered the earfuls they got from Ur – they weren't fun) and he felt normal again.

Of course that everything shattered into a million pieces as Deliora appeared and Gray's mind filled with blank. There was a white noise in his ears, keeping him from taking notice of his surroundings.

The blood rushed in his veins, an unsteady rush of vengeance and lack of caring over himself. But this also ended in an unexpected way, Ur stopping Deliora and sacrificing herself for him. her last words opening a wound in his heart forever at the same time that another chapter closed.

And that's how Gray found himself alone again. Shunned by Lyon, even though he didn't know how _weird_ Gray was, but the anger his once brother showed him had Gray reeling.

Then, he had reached his current family, the family that would be _his_ forever. The guild of Fairy Tail.

In the beginning the adaptation wasn't all that easy but Gray found himself bonding with several other kids. At one point he'd gotten quite ill and he had had to come forward with his secret. That information had saved his life but made the Master and Porlyusica know.

And then Natsu, the dragonslayer had appeared.

The flame brain was a challenge. They started with a huge dislike of the other but they grew up, the dislike becoming a rivalry and the rivalry becoming a deep-rooted friendship. It was nearly unshakeable. Gray knew that Natsu would always be there to annoy him but also to make him get better. Gray would put his hand in a fire for the fire mage – and he knew that Natsu would plunge into the iciest waters if there was such need.

They were _best friends_.

' _Were_.' Gray thought bitterly. For there was no way Natsu would ever talk to him again. And, even if Natsu wasn't exactly the kind, what if he babbled to the guild?

Gray would be the _freak_ once again.

And all because he had been born with one set of genitalia too many.

He _was_ a _freak_. And he didn't know if he could take the bad reactions once again. He didn't remember much but it hurt.

And he couldn't stand that. To be without a family again because of his _weirdness_.

But Gray had to talk to Natsu.

No matter what.

Determination set, Gray stood and went to his bedroom to get dressed.

There was ice freezing his veins and he couldn't help but feel the cold.

* * *

Entering the guild was nerve-wrecking to Gray.

He was unsure about what kind of reaction he might get. But, steeling his resolve once more, the ice mage went through the heavy wooden doors that led to the guild.

The interior was the same as usual, bustling with activity, laughter, music, booze and food were enriching the air. It was the same. His home.

Walking in, no-one reacted weirdly. Gray was greeted and greeted his guild mates. And he saw his friends sitting at their usual table. Natsu was eating as usual. And Gray nearly had a _déjà vu_ with just the previous day. Natsu really needed to learn to eat without making a mess of himself.

And Gray really needed to talk to the pig-headed fire mage.

Striding purposefully, Gray reached their table. He looked at Natsu and the fire mage froze mid-bite.

"Gray!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise. "You're quite early today, huh?"

"Yeah." The ice mage replied distractedly. "I needed to talk to Natsu."

"Me?" Natsu gulped his half-chewed mouthful and had a coughing fit.

"Yes, you." Gray said, taking the ice mage's free hand. "Come, let me help you." He gave a pull and Natsu stood, starting to be dragged in the direction of the toilets. Which were probably going to be secluded.

Checking to see that there was no-one else there, Gray looked at Natsu.

The fire mage was still hacking and coughing on the sinks. He then started to wash his hands and face.

'He's stalling.' Gray realized. 'Fine. I'll have to… do it.' Gray thought, taking a few steps to stand beside the fire mage.

He saw Natsu pause momentarily from where he was washing his face, then proceed as if nothing had happened.

"Look, Natsu, I have something to ask of you." Gray started gravely. He waited as Natsu straightened up and dried himself up. He didn't look into Gray's eyes – no, he looked into the wall behind the ice mage – but Gray knew he had his full attention. "Could you…" Gray forced the words out. "Could you not say anything?" he pleaded.

Natsu's eyes widened but the fire mage didn't reply.

Gray tilted his head forward, hiding his eyes as he stared at the tiled floor.

And waited.


	3. Confrontation

**A/N:** Another chapter that kind of flew by. Some things went as expected, some didn't.

This story is just crazy. xD And I'm not at fault! Blame the boys, it's all their doing!  
Huh, I probably should mention that this is written kind of at night and so, apologies for typos and all those not so fun things.  
To whoever reads this, hope you enjoy the reading, thanks for stopping by and continuing to follow my craziness. I still blame Shia for the enabling. xD

* * *

 **Chapter Three - Confrontation**

"What?" Natsu asked, confused.

Gray didn't reply, just but his lip, still looking down.

"Oi, ice brain. What the fuck are you talking about?" Natsu pressed. He was still wary of Gray but he wasn't exactly making sense at the moment.

"Don't pretend, asshole." Gray glared at Natsu, clenching his hands into fists. "You know what I mean!"

"Huh, no?" Natsu was taken aback. But he still didn't want to face Gray. He was too confused still. The fire mage was too distracted by his musings that he didn't anticipate Gray's punch to his shoulder, how Gray grasped his vest in a white-knuckled grip.

"I'm not going to say anything else." Gray said through gritted teeth. "Just know that you better keep your mouth shut, flame brain."

Natsu blanched. He really didn't want to be here, talking with Gray, of all people.

"Who do you think I am?" I shouted, glaring, sparks flickering around his hands. "Who do you think _you_ are?" Natsu pushed Gray back, jerking slightly forward as his vest was still being grasped.

"I can honestly say that I don't know. But if you know what's best for you, you'll keep your fucking mouth shut!" Gray said in a tightly restrained tone of voice. He looked towards the door, probably not wanting people to enter.

"Well, I'm not the kind of person you seem to think I am!" Natsu said with a punch on the wall. "I can't believe you!"

*And I don't know if I can believe you, _dragonslayer_." The word was uttered with such venom that Natsu was speechless. "I just… leave me alone, okay?"

And with that, Gray turned on his heel and left the bathroom, door slamming behind him.

"This…" Natsu said after a beat. "This fucking asshole!" he yelled into the tiled room. His bellow echoed back at him, again and again.

Fuming, Natsu went after Gray. He'd put aside his own confusion and questions for the moment, his rage at the ice mage's behaviour taking to the forefront of his thoughts. He felt his body as if leaden and frenetic at the same time. A mix of emotions that he couldn't explain but seemed to become an aura around him. Or maybe he did have a too-warm aura around him in reality.

He only knew that Gray was nearly at the guild's main doors and there were too many people between them and that something bad was going to happen if he wasn't able to yell some truths – or at least give a well-deserved punch – onto his stupid face.

"Get out of the way!" He snarled his guild mates, his focus completely on Gray, his senses attuned to the other mage.

Thankfully the path seemed to clear as if by magic. Natsu had half a mind to thank his friends for their understanding. Though, it was very understandable that no-one wanted to be burned by the flame that danced around Natsu.

All of that was just secondary. Natsu had to catch Gray as soon as possible.

* * *

Gray's strides had taken him a good distance from the guild but the ice mage belatedly realized the consequences of his actions.

He had threatened Natsu and berated him and he was too conscious of the consequences that might come from that.

But his whirlwind of thoughts was suddenly cut through by Natsu's voice calling him.

Gray looked back and, sure enough, the idiot was running towards him at full speed.

Gray also started running.

He didn't want to have anything to do with Natsu at the moment, regretting having said something but not wanting the thing that was going to happen to happen.

They ran through the maze-like streets of Magnolia, in the older part of the town. Gray running for his life in hopes of tricking the other but Natsu was too good at following and finding him, damn that heightened sense of smell the idiot had.

After turning left, Gray stopped.

He was in a dead end!

Steps sounded behind him and Gray realized that the chase was over. He'd been caught.

Natsu was glaring at Gray, huffing slightly. Wiping his brow with the back of his hand. Gray couldn't help but look, transfixed, at his movements as he, too, tried to regain his breath.

"You finally stopped." Natsu noted unnecessarily. "Tired of running like a coward?"

"I am not a coward, you dumbass!" Gray growled. The sweat was drying in his body, chilling him but that was a good thing, the cold was meant to spread out completely within him, to ground him. To make Gray feel like himself.

"I don't care what you are, yeah?" Natsu said suddenly. "I just never thought that you would say that kind of thing about me. Is that what you think I am?"

"Of course not, you melted-brain. But don't you see? I just can't-!" Gray cut himself to make an unintelligible noise.

"So…" Natsu crossed his arms and leaned in faux-casualty against the wall. "Do you want to explain this to me?" he said in an earnest voice that belied his nonchalant posture.

"Are you so dumb that you need an explanation?" Gray deadpanned.

"Sure, if it makes you feel better?" Was the reply, complete with the arching of an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. I was born like that, a freak, and so that's it." Gray said in a low, tight voice. "Ugh, why did I have to fall for someone so-!" Gray's eyes widened and he clapped a hand over his mouth. His expression full of alarm. He'd just said too much.

"Huh? Fell? What the fuck are you talking about?" Gray noticed how for the most, Natsu had remained in a state of some befuddlement.

"You don't want to know. Nothing to do with you." Gray said airily, trying to walk past Natsu. Unfortunately a hand curled like a vice over his arm.

"I think it has…" Natsu said in a serious tone. "And I want to know everything. Now, spill."

Gray gulped, a cold that wasn't like the one he was used to started settling in the pit of his stomach.

"What do you want to know?" Gray asked in a defeated tone, running his free hand through his hair in an agitated gesture.

"Like I said, everything. But what's that thing of you falling for someone?" Natsu queried.

"Ugh. You don't pull any punches." Gray said with a huff.

"You know me and I don't, icicle." Natsu said in a cheeky tone. The sombre air lifting a little from between them.

"Well, as you seem to have guessed already – yes, I know you and now I know that you seem to be gloating on the inside – I've fallen for someone. That someone is super stubborn, doesn't get a clue and most of the days I just want to punch their face into a bloody pulp. It's fun, though." Gray ground out, glaring daggers at Natsu. "Can you let me go now?"

"Nope." Natsu said with a large grin. "And I like you too, asshole." The fire mage had the gall of grabbing Gray's arm with his other hand while he interlaced his now free hand with Gray's. "It's good to finally say it."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Gray babbled, in shock. "No, you're trying to pull a prank or something now that you see that I'm _not…_ No! I'm going to kick your ass so hard if-!"

"Oi!" Natsu snapped his fingers before Gray's face. "I'm not kidding or anything. I've…" he shrugged awkwardly. "I've been feeling this for a while now but never wanted to fuck anything up. I didn't want to lose our friendship."

"And I didn't want to lose the friendship we have either." Gray added. "So, that means that we're both dumb?"

"If the girls were here, they would say that we're super dumb." Natsu shrugged and smiled crookedly.

Both mages laughed at the, well deserved, image of the girls laughing at them.

"Anyway." Natsu said, sobering up. Gray winced, as he knew what was coming. "Can you please explain what I saw?" the fire mage asked in a gentle tone.

"I…" Gray rubbed at his forehead with his free hand, avoiding Natsu's gaze. "I don't know. This is how I was born, you know?" he finished lamely with a shrug.

"But something bad also happened." Natsu added, tilting his head to the side.

"Uh, yeah? My life has been quite an assortment of bad things. But in regards to these things… I know that I'm a freak but-" Gray's tirade was momentarily paused as two fingers pressed against his lips.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Natsu asked in agitation. "You're not a freak. Igneel told me that sometimes that happens in nature. In everything. He gave me a weird explanation about the flow of magic or whatever? There were some dragons who were like that too."

"Natsu, you're not comparing me to a dragon, are you?" Gray said in an amused tone.

"Why not? They were the best!" Natsu defended himself.

"Fine, fine. They were awesome. But that doesn't change my… oddness." Gray said with a sigh.

"Okay, I'm going to show you what's odd." Natsu said with finality, starting to walk down the path they'd just used.

"Where are we going?" Gray asked, letting himself be dragged. Strangely.

"Your home." Natsu said with finality. "I'm going to show you what I think about your oddness."

Gray followed, half dazedly.

* * *

(Another note: I'm a bit unsure about posting the last chapter here since it's explicit and, explicit stuff shouldn't be posted here. So, to be safe, it will be posted on AO3. Feel free to read there.)


	4. Making Up

**A/N:** Final part! Which is just porn, to be honest. Well, let's hope it wasn't too bad...

Thanks for reading, I hope it was a fun read. Hopefully it won't put anyone off and wasn't a disappointment. ^^'

Also, this is a censored chapter, the full one will be on my AO3. Feel free to go there to read the whole thing.

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Making Up**

They reached Gray's house in what looked like no time at all.

The closing of the door seemed too final to Gray. Echoing in the otherwise empty house.

Gray found himself gulping at the same time that Natsu dragged him to his bedroom.

The room was decorated in various hues of blue, the window open and the curtains swaying slightly. The sun marked a stripe in the wall, right beside the headboard of his bed. The bed was unmade and there were piles of clothes scattered throughout the room, on the floor, on the back of the chair he had against one of the walls, even on top of the door of his closet.

Gray had the time to have a little bit of shame over the state of his room – it wasn't too usual for him to have it like that except when he was in a funk – but then he remembered how sometimes Natsu's room also looked like a whirlwind had been inside of it.

His thoughts sobered up pretty quickly as Natsu stopped at the foot of the bed. He had his back turned to Gray but was still holding his hand.

"Natsu…" Gray began, but paused at the squeeze the other gave him. The ice mage let out a sigh.

"I don't know what kind of things you've gone through," Natsu started saying, gravelly, "but I don't think that that person is _you_." The fire mage turned around, face tight with tension. "You're not that person who hides, I don't think so." Natsu shook his head, giving strength to his words.

"Says who?" Gray said tiredly. "It… it's not easy to be like this." His words came out bitterly.

"Okay, I understand. And I think that I get why you acted like that and how my reaction was over the top." The fire mage's shoulders slumped slightly.

"You're over the top all the time." Gray said with a roll of his eyes.

"Gee, thanks." Natsu replied, their usual banter coming to them easily for a moment before the air became sombre again. "But, I didn't have a reason to feel hurt or confused or whatever I was when I discovered."

"I guess that it's a pretty big shock." Gray said with a shrug, not understanding what Natsu meant.

"But it wasn't _you_ that shocked me. It was the fact that you didn't _tell_ me. Huh, I guess I'm being too selfish though, you have no reason to do it. It was just… I thought I had this level of closeness or something, ugh," Natsu ran a hand through his face in exasperation. "I know I'm not making sense and it's just selfish. But yeah, I guess that my stupid feelings made me think I was entitled to something. And I'm not, I know that, just… I wish I was?" His shoulders slumping further, Natsu let go of Gray's hand and he turned his back to the ice mage again.

"So, what? The fact that I didn't tell you this thing hurt you?" Gray summed, not getting it. "That doesn't exactly work like that. There are many things I don't tell you and you do the same?"

"I know!" Natsu shouted, turning around and looking straight at Gray. "But I don't have anything like that! I… I just wanted something and the realization I got was too much."

Gray didn't say a word, he just pushed Natsu so that he fell on the bed.

"Okay. But I think we cleared some things now?" The ice mage said as he straddled Natsu. "You were all determined earlier. Where did that go?"

The challenge didn't go unnoticed to Natsu.

"Fine." Natsu said with a grin, rolling them over so that now Gray was the one laying on his back. "But how do we do this? How did you do it? Sex?" There was curiosity in his tone.

"Well…" A slight blush tinged Gray's cheeks. "I usually top." He said as he laced his fingers through Natsu's.

"With men and women?" Natsu asked with a grin.

"Of course. Though, sometimes I do bottom. It can get trickier like that." Gray said, seeing the look of curiosity on the other.

"How do you do that, then?" Natsu asked in wonder.

"There are some clubs…" Gray said, simply.

"Shit, don't tell me…" Natsu interjected in shock.

"In those times the guy was blindfolded and tied down underneath me." Gray continued.

"Shit, that's kinky." Was the breathless reply.

"If you ever want to try that one of these days…" the ice mage winked.

"Hell yeah!" Was Natsu's instant response. "But, huh, now we better get out of our clothes. Not like that's much of a problem to you."

"You know it isn't." Was the reply.

The two mages shared a laugh. And then, quickly, started pushing out the other's clothes, successfully getting bare and lying on their sides, facing each other.

They paused for a beat, taking each other in.

Gray fidgeted as Natsu stood silent and observing for a little too long. He was used to walking around naked – that had never bothered him – but it was slightly unnerving to have the other mage looking and not saying anything.

"Well?" Gray said finally.

"Huh?" Natsu said, blinking. "Sorry, I was just thinking that it's no wonder that all the heads turn when you _lose_ some piece of clothing."

"Shush, dumbass." Gray slapped Natsu's arm, before rolling them up so that Gray was on top of Natsu once again.

Natsu pulled the ice mage down for another kiss, gently rolling them so that their positions got reversed once again.

It was just like the push and pull they were used to.

But, as Natsu broke the kiss, he didn't pull back, his lips ran down Gray's jaw, caressing and making a burning path. Natsu went down the tendons on the ice mage's neck, reaching the collarbone where he lay a series of kisses before nibbling at the protruding bone on Gray's left side. The nibbling was alternated with sucking and Natsu was making a big mark on Gray's skin.

"I'm so gonna kick your ass." Gray couldn't help but say, even though he was tilting his head to the side to give Natsu more room to work on. "If you keep that up the whole guild will know."

"And what's the problem with that?" Natsu asked, standing back and staring at Gray. "Do you have any problem?" He ran his fingers over the mark and his hand descended, following the paths created by the muscles, his warm hands leaving reddish lines in the paths, almost like a brand. His other hand did the same on the other side, mirroring the sensations on both sides of the ice mage.

"I should have known that you dragonslayers are all weird about marking." Gray grumbled, but without bite in his words.

"Well, we know what we like." Natsu said with a large grin. "And I really can say that I like you. Even though you're such a prissy ice princess sometimes."

"Hey! I'm not prissy, you asshole!" Gray shot back, grinning. "But I really can't fault you, your brain has bled out of your ears after all that heat in that empty head of yours."

"Shush." Natsu said, squeezing Gray's nipples at the same time and sending a small flare of heat. "And of course that you had to enjoy differences in temperature." Natsu scooted downwards until he was sitting in Gray's thighs, effectively showcasing the other's erect cock. "You're hard as fuck. And dripping." He said as he started stroking Gray's erection, hand moving easily due to the precome. "But now I do wonder…"

Natsu placed one his legs between Gray's making the ice mage spread his legs, finally allowing Natsu another glimpse into what had surprised him before.

* * *

Natsu's thrusts started faltering, becoming erratic and Gray fell. He saw white, a garbled word pushing from his lips and he felt Natsu's whole body lock into place, before his heavy weight fell on top of Gray.

Spent, they lay for long moments, catching their breaths. Still quite a bit surprised at the intensity of the moment they had just shared.

Finally Gray patted Natsu's shoulder, tiredly.

"Out," the ice mage huffed, slightly short of breath. "You're heavy."

"Hahaha, I knew you would find something to complain about." Natsu joked as he slipped from Gray and rolled to lay beside the other. "That's just typical." He added distractedly as he grabbed some piece of clothing from the floor and wiped his stomach, where it was covered in Gray's come.

"Hey. Are those my trousers?" Gray asked.

"Huh, they are?" Natsu asked. "Oh, you're right."

"That's it. You're doing laundry later." Gray said in a definite tone.

"Oi! Why do I have to do that? I'm your guest, here." Natsu complained, half falling over Gray's torso, still holding the trouser-leg, which he used to clean Gray up.

"You have the gall!" Gray said in outrage before not taking it anymore and bursting into peals of laughter. Natsu didn't take long to join in, throwing the trousers away. They laughed until Natsu let out a yawn.

"Now I feel tired." Natsu said as he rolled to lay on his back.

"Funny. So do I." Gray agreed, stretching.

"Can we take a nap and talk more later?" The fire mage asked, turning his head to the side so that he could glance at Gray.

"Sure." Gray mumbled, eyes falling closed and breathing becoming slow and steady.

Natsu blinked a few times, in wonder at the way Gray had just fallen asleep beside him. It was something that the ice mage had a lot of difficulty doing as he tended to have a hard time falling asleep. The ice mage congratulated himself in his mind for having worn off Gray that much.

The pull of sleep was getting stronger and stronger and so Natsu let himself go, but before he went under, he stretched his hand and laced his fingers with Gray's.

It was nice.

* * *

On the next day, and after some interesting and kinky shenanigans in bed, the bathroom and nearly on the kitchen, the two mages headed to the guild.

There was a serene air between them, the misunderstandings taken care of and a new adventure set before them.

They shared a look before entering the great hall. A look of understanding. And that somethings wouldn't change.

For yes, there were still some unshakeable truths for Natsu. His home and family were still in Fairy Tail; he still raised with the sun (much to a certain ice mage's annoyance) and his strange relationship with Gray was still the same but it now had a new layer.

Their friendship was stronger than ever, but now they had let a wall fall down and their hearts had spoken, making them closer than ever. And if Natsu was one of the few people that knew of Gray's secret, he would keep it very close to his heart – and have as much fun with it as possible.

With a wink to Gray, Natsu pulled the ice mage into the noisy and rowdy great hall.

They were, indeed, home.


End file.
